The Inside Out Team is back from a two-week Photobooth Action in Kobe, Japan where we took nearly 2,700 portraits to celebrate the diversity of the historic port city!
To wrap up our summer, we created a one-of-a-kind Photobooth in Japan by transforming a shipping container situated in the heart of Kobe’s waterfront! Locals and visitors alike were invited to have their portraits taken and become part of one of the five special installations across the city’s port area. This Action was a huge hit! Media outlets from across the region stopped by our Photobooth to document the Action. News quickly spread across the country and we were even featured on national television!
Participants lining up to take their portrait in our one-of-a-kind Photobooth Container.
The largest installation consisted of nearly 2,000 portraits that formed a bridge in celebration of human connections between the community of Kobe and the world. This human mosaic showcased the energetic expressions of people of all ages and backgrounds who came together to express love for their city about to be transformed by new development.
Aerial photo of the pasting process at the Sumitomo Building.
The final weekend of the project rocked the house! We exceeded our expected number of portraits and ran out of wall space to paste! As a result, our Team decided to create three different installations in Meriken Park on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. After taking their portraits, participants were invited to paste their poster on the floor directly outside of our Photobooth by spraying it with water. At the end of each day, the pasting was removed to make space for the incoming participants the following day.
Participants 'pasting' their portraits with a water hose at Meriken Park.
We wrapped up our two-week Action on Sunday, August 28th when more than 400 participants made the line to come into our Photobooth! As this remarkable project came to a close, we created a massive final pasting in the shape of a boat to honor Kobe’s history as one of Japan’s most important port cities.
We are thrilled to have received so much support from locals, volunteers, and city officials to bring this one-of-a-kind Action to life. To see more from this Action, check out our Photobooth page!
Scroll down to take a look at some of our highlights.
Participant family posing with their posters.
'Human Bridge' pasting of nearly 2,000 portraits at the Sumitomo building.
Participants taking a selfie in front of their pasted posters.
One of Five pasting locations around Kobe's Waterfront area.
Pedestrians walking by a pasting in Kobe, Japan.